Who Cares?: Covid-19 Social Protection Responses in Southeast Asia

Who Cares?: Covid-19 Social Protection Responses in Southeast Asia PDF Author: Rosalia Sciortino
Publisher:
ISBN: 9786162151941
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Who Cares? presents findings on the social protection response to the COVID-19 pandemic in six Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. After a regional overview, country-specific chapters narrate the pandemic's unfolding, public health measures taken to contain it, and economic impacts on different demographics and assesses the effectiveness of social welfare programs. Collectively, the research demonstrates that social protections have been a secondary concern in policy making and resource allocation. Moreover, program details disclose entrenched limitations and biases: privileges for civil servants and formal sector employees; inadequate or nonexistent allowances for the poor, informal and migrant workers, and those outside the labor market; and greater economic vulnerability among women and other marginalized groups. Ultimately, this work highlights the paradox that crises disproportionately affect the most socially deprived, yet they are the ones less socially protected. Tackling this issue demands change at the structural level?change that can only be brought about by acknowledging the socioeconomic and political values that shape societal systems.

Who Cares?: Covid-19 Social Protection Responses in Southeast Asia

Who Cares?: Covid-19 Social Protection Responses in Southeast Asia PDF Author: Rosalia Sciortino
Publisher:
ISBN: 9786162151941
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
Who Cares? presents findings on the social protection response to the COVID-19 pandemic in six Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. After a regional overview, country-specific chapters narrate the pandemic's unfolding, public health measures taken to contain it, and economic impacts on different demographics and assesses the effectiveness of social welfare programs. Collectively, the research demonstrates that social protections have been a secondary concern in policy making and resource allocation. Moreover, program details disclose entrenched limitations and biases: privileges for civil servants and formal sector employees; inadequate or nonexistent allowances for the poor, informal and migrant workers, and those outside the labor market; and greater economic vulnerability among women and other marginalized groups. Ultimately, this work highlights the paradox that crises disproportionately affect the most socially deprived, yet they are the ones less socially protected. Tackling this issue demands change at the structural level?change that can only be brought about by acknowledging the socioeconomic and political values that shape societal systems.

Who Cares?

Who Cares? PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9786162151996
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


Populations and Precarity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Southeast Asian Perspectives

Populations and Precarity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Southeast Asian Perspectives PDF Author: Kevin S.Y. Tan
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9814951501
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 189

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Book Description
This volume is a collection of articles that examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected and intersected with various Southeast Asian contexts in the broad areas of migration, education and demographic policy. At the height of the pandemic from 2020‒22, the resulting restrictions to international travel, ensuing nationwide lockdowns and eventual economic crises formed part of what many commentators referred to as a “new normal”. Apart from being a global health crisis, the pandemic disrupted and transformed the experience of everyday life at all levels of society, where many of its effects are now likely irreversible. In particular, the impact of the pandemic certainly affected the most vulnerable individuals and communities throughout the region, especially in countries that are experiencing rapid ageing such as Singapore and Thailand. Examples of the most affected include low-wage migrant workers, the disabled and the children of impoverished families. For many who were already living in a state of precarity, the structural “side-effects” of the pandemic were at times more deadly than the coronavirus itself as it often negatively impacted livelihood, social-emotional ties and overall well-being. At the same time, the “new normal” has further created conditions that raise the likelihood of occupational precarity even for long-term professionals within established fields like education. In other words, few experienced the COVID-19 pandemic without encountering both tangible and intangible challenges, regardless of where one was situated. Hence, by merging the theme of precarity with that of the pandemic’s undeniable and exacerbating effects, this volume hopes to establish a useful platform to reflect and learn from a range of scholarly views and to contribute to new knowledge and inform policymaking in Southeast Asian societies. "This volume is a collection of thoughtful scholarship that examines the challenges that have been made more acute by the COVID-19 pandemic among and between Southeast Asian populations. The chapters here consider how the global public health crisis and its policy responses have aggravated various forms of precarity that had taken root in pockets of Southeast Asian societies. While history will be the ultimate judge of the true social and cultural consequences of COVID-19 policy responses, Populations and Precarity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Southeast Asian Perspectives is an urgent reminder that while the worst of the pandemic may be behind us, much more remains to be done to relieve the most vulnerable among our populations of a different kind of long COVID."--Associate Professor Lim Lee Ching, Dean of S R Nathan School of Human Development, Singapore University of Social Sciences "We have all witnessed the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on our daily lives. This was especially true in areas such as Southeast Asia where local and regional economies rely on the movement of workers, both skilled and unskilled. The compilation of chapters in this volume provides an interesting examination of the struggles faced by many in Southeast Asia during this difficult period. Readers will realize that what was merely an inconvenience for some people was life altering for others. I highly recommend reading this book to increase awareness of the hidden consequences of such global catastrophes and perhaps better prepare for the next global event. It is hoped that this collection will inspire actions to resolve some of the current issues faced by vulnerable populations."--Professor Gary La Point, Professor of Practice in Supply Chain, Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University "A fascinating book that provides an insightful analysis of the 'new normal' and the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic in key areas such as migration, housing, education, disaster management, and ageing in Southeast Asia. The book provides invaluable perspectives and knowledge for social policymakers and students in Southeast Asia and beyond." --Dr Sorasich Swangsilp, Director, Social Policy & Development (SPD) Programme (BA International Programme), Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University "Populations and Precarity during the COVID-19 Pandemic provides a timely addition to our understanding of how the pandemic disrupted key areas of everyday life in Southeast Asia, a multi-ethnic and complex region. Thematically diverse and empirically rich, this book is an interdisciplinary collaboration that deserves academic attention."--Professor Jongryul Choi, Chair of the Department of Sociology, Keimyung University, South Korea

COVID-19 and Labor Markets in Southeast Asia

COVID-19 and Labor Markets in Southeast Asia PDF Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
ISBN: 9292692518
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
This report examines the impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on labor markets in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Labor markets in Southeast Asia were particularly hit hard in 2020, when government containment measures were most severe. COVID-19 has exacerbated growing inequalities in the region—hurting not just low-skilled workers but also middle-skilled workers whose jobs were already at risk from automation even before the pandemic. Large gaps in social protection coverage were also exposed. While the policy response has been significant, a narrowing fiscal space and the protracted nature of the pandemic still pose major challenges for recovery. The report aims to help policymakers identify priorities, constraints, and opportunities for developing effective labor market strategies for economic recovery and beyond.

COVID-19 in Southeast Asia

COVID-19 in Southeast Asia PDF Author: Hyun Bang Shin
Publisher: LSE Press
ISBN: 1909890774
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
COVID-19 has presented huge challenges to governments, businesses, civil societies, and people from all walks of life, but its impact has been highly variegated, affecting society in multiple negative ways, with uneven geographical and socioeconomic patterns. The crisis revealed existing contradictions and inequalities in society, compelling us to question what it means to return to “normal” and what insights can be gleaned from Southeast Asia for thinking about a post-pandemic world. In this regard, this edited volume collects the informed views of an ensemble of social scientists – area studies, development studies, and legal scholars; anthropologists, architects, economists, geographers, planners, sociologists, and urbanists; representing academic institutions, activist and charitable organisations, policy and research institutes, and areas of professional practice – who recognise the necessity of critical commentary and engaged scholarship. These contributions represent a wide-ranging set of views, collectively producing a compilation of reflections on the following three themes in particular: (1) Urbanisation, digital infrastructures, economies, and the environment; (2) Migrants, (im)mobilities, and borders; and (3) Collective action, communities, and mutual action. Overall, this edited volume first aims to speak from a situated position in relevant debates to challenge knowledge about the pandemic that has assigned selective and inequitable visibility to issues, people, or places, or which through its inferential or interpretive capacity has worked to set social expectations or assign validity to certain interventions with a bearing on the pandemic’s course and the future it has foretold. Second, it aims to advance or renew understandings of social challenges, risks, or inequities that were already in place, and which, without further or better action, are to be features of our “post-pandemic world” as well. This volume also contributes to the ongoing efforts to de-centre and decolonise knowledge production. It endeavours to help secure a place within these debates for a region that was among the first outside of East Asia to be forced to contend with COVID-19 in a substantial way and which has evinced a marked and instructive diversity and dynamism in its fortunes.

COVID-19 in South, West, and Southeast Asia

COVID-19 in South, West, and Southeast Asia PDF Author: Mohd Mizan Aslam
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100078973X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Aslam and Gunaratna bring together a broad analysis of the responses of states in Asia to the threats presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in its early phase. While the impact of the pandemic has undoubtedly been disastrous, it has also taught many lessons about social, political, economic, and security norms in modern civilization. The contributors to this book look at how these lessons have been learned—often the hard way—by a range of states including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, and Jordan, as well as by international organizations including ASEAN. They look at a range of issues, going beyond the most apparent healthcare concerns to also look at challenges such as the gig economy, terrorism, extremism, religious identity, and cybersecurity. Using these country-based case studies, this book establishes a framework for understanding these challenges and establishing best practice and scalable solutions for addressing them. A valuable resource for scholars and practitioners trying to understand how the world will and won’t be changed by the impact of COVID-19, especially in the realms of security, society, and economy.

Navigating COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific

Navigating COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific PDF Author: Bambang Susantono
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
ISBN: 9292623567
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has unleashed unparalleled challenges. At the same time, it offers a window to rethink Asia’s most fundamental development policies and strategies to address inequality, socioeconomic vulnerability, and environmental challenges. This publication gathers blogs and short policy pieces contributed by ADB staff and experts in an attempt to tackle immediate challenges and prepare for what may lie beyond the horizon. It covers a broad range of development challenges and highlights the crucial role of rapid adoption of digital technologies, adequate supply of quality infrastructure, disaster risk management, and strengthening regional cooperation for a resilient and sustainable future by shaping post-pandemic conditions.

Adaptive Social Protection

Adaptive Social Protection PDF Author: Thomas Bowen
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464815755
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 155

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Book Description
Adaptive social protection (ASP) helps to build the resilience of poor and vulnerable households to the impacts of large, covariate shocks, such as natural disasters, economic crises, pandemics, conflict, and forced displacement. Through the provision of transfers and services directly to these households, ASP supports their capacity to prepare for, cope with, and adapt to the shocks they face—before, during, and after these shocks occur. Over the long term, by supporting these three capacities, ASP can provide a pathway to a more resilient state for households that may otherwise lack the resources to move out of chronically vulnerable situations. Adaptive Social Protection: Building Resilience to Shocks outlines an organizing framework for the design and implementation of ASP, providing insights into the ways in which social protection systems can be made more capable of building household resilience. By way of its four building blocks—programs, information, finance, and institutional arrangements and partnerships—the framework highlights both the elements of existing social protection systems that are the cornerstones for building household resilience, as well as the additional investments that are central to enhancing their ability to generate these outcomes. In this report, the ASP framework and its building blocks have been elaborated primarily in relation to natural disasters and associated climate change. Nevertheless, many of the priorities identified within each building block are also pertinent to the design and implementation of ASP across other types of shocks, providing a foundation for a structured approach to the advancement of this rapidly evolving and complex agenda.

Policy Advice to Asia in the COVID-19 Era

Policy Advice to Asia in the COVID-19 Era PDF Author: Changyong Rhee
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1513566598
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
The Asia-Pacific region was the first to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic; it put a strain on its people and economies, and policymaking became exceptionally difficult. This departmental paper contains the assessment of the key challenges facing Asia at this critical juncture and policy advice to the region both to address the current challenges and to build the foundations for a more sustainable and inclusive future. The paper focuses on (1) adjusting to the COVID-19 shock, (2) using unconventional policies when policy space is limited, (3) dealing with debt, and (4) helping the vulnerable and greening the recovery. The paper first presents the different ways countries are adjusting to the COVID-19 shock.

Social Protection for Informal Workers in Asia

Social Protection for Informal Workers in Asia PDF Author: Sri Wening Handayani
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
ISBN: 929257566X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
This publication examines the need to expand social protection coverage of the informal sector to support working age productivity, reduce vulnerability, and improve economic opportunity. Case studies from Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand offer suggestions to close social protection gaps and recommend policy solutions to create equitable and inclusive social protection programs for informal workers.